Salted Caramel Apple Bread

10/16/14

Happy Fall, y’all!

This recipe IS fall. Not only does it fill the house with that deliciously sweet and warm fall aroma, but it tastes like fall would if a season had a flavor.

Fall came a little early for us this year considering our move from Texas to Europe. Actually, to the rest of the world it was right on time, but to us it was shocking to need a jacket in September. All you Texans can empathize with me when I say autumn in Texas is a confusing season. It basically happens like this: blistering heat > a few days of perfectly cool weather (stay calm and put away the UGG’s, people) > back up to 80 degrees > drops down and some sort of “wintry mix” happens > extreme wind > a couple more perfectly cool days > then it’s winter and you’re praying for that 100 degree weather again.

SO you can imagine our surprise when we’re actually experiencing consecutively beautiful days that would be considered “Fall”. These days call for open windows and finding ways to fill the house (and our stomachs) with warm seasonal flavors.

Growing up, one of my favorite Halloween treats was a caramel apple and those caramel apple suckers (tbh, I just bought a bag of those suckers at the American grocery store hehe). The only problem is making caramel apples can be quite a hassle and quite a commitment. Not to mention, I was always afraid I’d loose a tooth to that thick, sticky caramel coating. So, I give you the caramel apple bread. You may now eat caramel apples any time of the day. Smear a little cream cheese on a slice for a perfectly sweet breakfast, make it an afternoon treat, and of course it’s delicious as dessert.

This recipe is super simple and will surely be a new fall favorite!

Salted Caramel Apple Bread

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40-50 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Bread

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 large apple, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Glaze

Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1 cup whipping cream (unwhipped)

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Drizzle:

8 oz dark chocolate

sprinkle of coarse sea salt

Directions:

Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.

Using a stand mixer or large bowl and hand mixer, beat the white sugar and butter together until smooth.

Add the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla extract, continue to beat on medium speed until well combined.

Slowly add the flour and baking powder then the milk. Mix until all ingredients are just combined.

Pour half the batter into the loaf pan. Cover the batter evenly with half of the apples, then sprinkle half the brown sugar mixture over the apples.

Pour the rest of the batter over the apples, then cover with the remaining apples and brown sugar/cinnamon.

Lightly tap the topping into the batter with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Glaze

While the loaf is baking, prepare the caramel drizzle. In a small saucepan, combine the sugars and water and bring to a boil, stirring often.

Continue to cook, occasionally stirring, until the mixture begins to slightly darken and has the consistency of a thin syrup (about 15 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in the whipping cream and vanilla extract, then return the saucepan to high heat and boil the sauce until it becomes a thick syrup (about 10 minutes). Allow the sauce to cool completely (I stuck mine in the fridge while the bread was cooling because I’m impatient.) It needs to be at room temperature to drizzle.

Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave.

Once the bread has cooled completely, use a spoon to drizzle the caramel sauce then dark chocolate lightly over the loaf. (You will have extra sauces left over, save them to pour over ice cream sundaes later!) Lightly sprinkle sea salt over the glaze.